DespiteNetflixhitting it out of the park with viewers with the latest installment in the comic book action franchise,The Old Guard, the future’s looking surprisingly grim. Today,The Old Guard 2sits atthe top spotof the streamer’s list of most popular films (in the United States, as well as worldwide), but this seemingly does not guarantee a third film will ever be made. In fact, starCharlize TheronandThe Old Guard 2director Victoria Mahoney seem oddly down about the prospect of another sequel.
Mahoney talked to Deadline about the release ofThe Old Guard 2, the sequel in the action universe inspired by the comic book series created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. And judging from her comments, it appears that Netflix has no current plans to continue the franchise. This tale of immortal warriors started in 2020 with the acclaimed film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood that presented a notable variation on the action and fantasy genres. While the sequel wasn’tas well-received by critics, it has been hugely popular with fans of the genre since landing on streaming, suggesting a third entry would be the next obvious step. However, if this were to happen, Mahoney says she would not return to direct:
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“If they do another one, I will be gone. I have other projects that I’m legally bound to. I’m so excited about them, and I punted, and I, you know, arranged my life to finish this film, and I’m really proud and excited to have seen it through. But I did punt a few things that I have to get to now Old Guard is done for me.
“When you asked me earlier about Gina’s film, and what Gina did in the first film, and how she brought forward these grounded, plausible characters in this, you know, earnest investigation into immortality and living past our loved ones in time. I feel like time is a big thing. I was a fan of that movie, so I was a fan of Old Guard. Then I got the call for Old Guard 2. It wasn’t, I got a call, and then became a fan. I will say this, I will be a fan for the next one.”
Does Charlize Theron Even Want to Return for ‘The Old Guard 3’?
The other major figure when it comes to making decisions aboutThe Old Guard’s future is Charlize Theron, who plays the lead, and is also involved as producer. With Gina Prince-Bythewood being replaced by Mahoney for the sequel, finding a new director would follow the trend shouldThe Old Guard 3get the greenlight. However, when talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Theron also addressed the possibility ofThe Old Guard 3,claiming that both films were designed to bestandalone films that didn’t require sequels:
“We never ended the first one thinking we were going to do a second, but that was just how it happened to be. So we treated this one exactly the same, but I’m being completely honest when I say that we have absolutely no idea what that [third film] would even look like.”
Perhaps it’s just a matter of waiting. After all,it took five years for the sequel to come out. But it would come as a surprise should the streamer decide to kill offThe Old Guardalready considering it’s based on a 16-book series.The Old Guard 2was released only five days ago, and Netflix is likely waiting for more people to watch it, and evaluate its performance more clearly in terms of audience reception. Thankfully, while she doesn’t seem to eager to return, Theron is not entirely opposed to the idea of making another sequel. When talking to Deadline, she said fans will simply have to wait until a decision is made: “We’re going to take a break, take a little breather, and then we’ll come back and decide.”
Source:The Hollywood Reporter/Deadline/Variety
The Old Guard 2
